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Doors hammer hammer hammer.
Corridors shout, break into scuffles,
spew clusters of four-letter words.
You are safe in your room.
Safe between shuddering walls,
listening for pockets of silence —
the silence of women holding
their tongues, holding their breath,
holding children close.
You are safe in your bed,
clutching the pillows.
Go to sleep. In the morning
the women will sweep the corridors,
wash down the walls,
pour milk for their children.
The building is angry.
None of us is to blame.
Hilaire is co-author with Joolz Sparkes of London Undercurrents. She writes and gardens in Battersea. 21st-century Poetry is edited by Andy Croft, email [email protected].
